member. however much we might disagree he is courtesy colleague and we always work well together. this was not a hearing on the science, it was a hearing with the experience of administrators. if we were to do a hearing on i think we, then would be adding the scientists scientistsnd the from nasa and the science entities to back the united states defense establishment and establishment of every scientific organization in the country. dr. botkin is right and they are all wronger but i'm not sure that would be the prudent for our country. thank you very much. we are adjourned. night c-spany american history tour travels country to explore historic places. night, the civil rights

look back at a letter fromr king's jail and the life and death of medgar evers. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute] a legend when he was only 12 and he said when he asked his father why would they him and his father said that is what they do. so he said i'm sure he was a bit angry, frustrated. he was hurt. so getting away from it, i said away from mississippi he he wasd not army when only 16 and served in world war ii. defendingabout america. it didn't matter about the color of his skin until he came back his to mississippi and on 21st birthday he tried to register to vote. charles whorother was also a veteran and other veterans and these group of them aroundrned with shotguns and ran them off

and medgar says we ran, we did not go up against those men but made medgar get serious. from the american history tour of the civil rights movement tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern on -span. >> friday on c-span in prime time, important sites in the civil rights movement. saturday night at 8:00, new york ideas forum, including a cancer biologist. and on sunday, charlie rangel at 8:00 p.m. friday night at 8:00. "in depth." saturday night, retired neurosurgeon and sunday night at 11:00, lawrence goldstone on the mpetition between the wright

brothers. merican history tv on c-span c-span 3. and burning of washington. and sunday night at 8:00, form earl white house chiefs of staff . find our schedule one week in advance and let us know about the programs you are watching. >> texas governor rick perry speaking about immigration policy and border policy and attorney holder announcing $17 billion settlement. and later defense secretary chuck hagel and general martin

dempsey talked to reporters about the situation in iraq and syria. governor rick perry spoke about border security and the situation in iraq, providing his assessment of what the u.s. should be doing to combat isis, is occurred almost after a week after governor perry was indicted. he began his speech by addressing those charges. [applause] >> thank you for the invitation o be here today.

i refer to this as a little wellspring of wisdom in the desert of washington, d.c. heritage, thank you for what you do, and to genevieve, for allowing us to come and be a art of this today. and jan, thank you for the program. you do, a fact, look eternally young. some of you may not know this. rich has been ahead of national review for as long as i've been governor of texas. it's a pretty lengthy. of time. -- a pretty lengthy timeframe. you don't get to stay around that long unless you are really good at what you do, or just eally lucky.

i suggest those of those are good things. it doesn't hurt to be both. as he shared with you, and some of you might have heard that there are some interesting things going on back in my home state. right now, there are a few public officials in travis county who have taken issue with an exercise of my constitutional veto authority. these are fundamentally, principles that are very important. namely, a governor's power to veto legislation and funding, and the right of free speech. i am very confident in my case, and i can assure you that i will fight this attack of our system of government, and with my fellow citizens, both epublicans and democrats, i am to defend our constitution and

stand up for the rule of law in he state of texas. to all of you who work here at heritage or at national review, you are for republican leaders across the way. ou have for 5.5 years been among the leading voices of the opposition. every bit as much as william f buckley and ed fuller and the whole conservative movement of another era, you have carried the flag when it wasn't easy. for conservatives across america, you have kept the supplies coming. you have been there with recent arguments, principled -- reasoned arguments, principled criticisms, in a spirited ebate.

you have been there to show optimism and camaraderie, and that is the mark of every good cause from my perspective. you have been holding the ground as best you can, and more than that, pointing away back for a new conservative majority. we have 29 months left in the presidency of barack obama. that is the bad news. the good news is, he's got exactly 136 days left until the next congress convenes with a republican house and a republican senate. he will get a little taste. you will get a little taste of checks and balances. he has an appointment, if you will, come january 3, with constitutional limits. the election of 2014 is

america's last chance to pass judgment on the obama residency. and something tells me he's not going to like it. you know, how different it is, as we look back now, when you think about how his presidency began. he came in the crying the mallness, the pettiness of washington and washington politics. -- he came in decrying the pettiness, the smallness of washington and washington politics. he was the constitutional lawyer that was going to govern a different way, uniting the country and the lien respect across party lines. and maybe you remember the part about improving america's standing in the world.

there were all kinds of offenses for us to atone for. our reputation, we were told, needed some polishing, and he was the right guy for the job. the constitutional law background is worked out in a rather interesting way, when you hink about it. 20 times, unanimously, the supreme court has had to set him straight on the limits of executive power. and when an american president is constantly exceeding his lawful authority, it doesn't exactly do much for bipartisan goodwill either. he has taken to saying, if congress won't act, i will. which certainly serves up a certain element of our society out there. the problem is, we've still got two elected branches of overnment in this country.

and yet, for all of those inconveniences, we still like to o things democratically. we are seeing this misuse of presidential power right now. and one of the issues that brings us here today, and that is, the integrity of our nations security -- our nation's security, our nations border -- nation's border. we have a crisis on our nation's border that is entirely under the president's authority to deal with under the law, but he will not fully and consistently enforce the laws as they are written. that is, requiring the protection of our borders against unlawful entry. and he wants to establish new laws, such as the amnesty of 2012 without the consent of ongress. on the one hand, we are seeing a willful neglect of clear, presidential response ability.

on the other hand, we are seeing an aggressive overreach into the powers that do not belong to the president at all. when laws are treated this way, what usually follows our chaos and grief -- are chaos and grief, and that is exactly what we've got right now. here is no briefing from far away that can capture the scenes along our border. not long ago, i invited the president to come with me and have a look for himself. he happened to be in dallas anyway on a very vital presidential trip to help the texas democrats, so why not chopper down to the border and take a look for yourself to see what is going on? he turned me down. and to this day, the president has yet to see the faqs on the ground on our southern order. -- the facts on the ground on our southern border.

even though they are the direct consequences of his foreign olicies. children, 1000 miles from their parents, vulnerable and afraid. they are drawn here by rumors of amnesty. there are these coyotes, these smugglers, these gang members and lowlifes and other forms who are exploiting these hildren. and mind you, the unaccompanied children you are reading about are just 20% of those illegally crossing the border. many are adults. some are working for the cartels, or involved in other serious criminal activity. over the years, many thousands of violent crimes in the united tates trace directly back to

our porous border. these are thefts and the thought -- and assaults and murders that hould never have happened, because the thieves and the assailant and the murderers should never have been in the country to begin with. on our side, we have some very fine, dedicated people on the border patrol. they are doing their level best under difficult circumstances. this summer, we began deploying up to 1000 of our national guard's -- national guard men. they are doing all they can come along with all of the public safety officers that i have directed to deal with criminal liens. the entire nation is benefiting from that, but the resources, the initiative, and the will all come from the people of the

state of texas, the people that i have sworn to defend, to serve. if the federal government showed half that kind of resolve, the border of the united states of america would be secure. here's what it comes down to. defending the border is not a political option. it is a constitutional bligation.

and until the federal government needs that duty and secures that border -- meets that duty and secures that border, all talk of immigration reform is pointless, because washington has no credibility on the matter. you earn credibility when you enforce the law, and you lose it when you don't. chaos is not the right condition for discussing long-term immigration policy. to those who wait on comprehensive immigration reform here is my answer. how about we start with conference of border enforcement? -- comprehensive border enforcement? border security, after all, is the nearest front of national security. and i'm sorry to relate that this front is today, largely undefended. so many people come across the border without us ever -- without us and ever knowing about us. and the cartel, as vicious and brutal as they are, they might be the least of our worries. what other bad actors are coming here? or for that matter, have arrived already? where have they come from? what have they brought with them? behind all of the political opportunism that has marked this debate is a profound sense of false security. fter all, we are watching this

crisis and our border at the very moment that other crises far away demand our concentrated attention. just consider the events in syria and iraq, and other places in the middle east, they should have us thinking about the possibility of another terrorist attack in this country. we have been put on notice lately by the jihadist army that is right now charging across the country, we were told, was secure and stable.

and the astonishing seizure of territory these past few months, if that is any indication, then we have every reason to take these individuals at their word. alertness is everything. here, too, presidential leadership requires the most candid assessment of the facts on the ground, because the most fundamental interests of our nation ride in the balance. and here, too, we have to understand the consequences of doing nothing. all of us, republicans and democrats, have a duty to put no concern of politics before the security of america. we have to take things are in the world today, not as we wish things were. that, certainly, is the way we approach things -- you approach things here at heritage. let me allow just a few things i would share with you on this nfolding crisis. one third of a rack -- of iraq is under the control of islamist terrorism.

nearly as much of serious ominated by the same -- of syria is dominated by the same jihadists. the group in iraq and syria is isis. when this year started, most of us had never even heard of that group. hey had been advancing and captured american vehicles, killing captured americans, taking weapons and a musician -- and ammunition, and all of this and more has happened just since une. and that the terrorists see it, they have had a triumphant summer, complete with islamic law and caliphate, complete with recruits to join in the offensive. we are talking about a movement that is bigger and better financed than al qaeda ever was.

nd it's got nothing to learn from al qaeda about ruthless butchery either. isis has been butchering nonbelievers, otherwise known as innocent the him's -- innocent victims. the poor schools -- the poor souls that did not get away have met the worst of fate, beheadings, rape, enslavement, crucifixions. that is the character of this enemy. and in case we missed the point, they actually take pictures of their atrocities and post them online, calling it a preview of what we can expect in america. we have all seen the sorrowful images of the innocent hotojournalist, james foley,

forced to kneel and wait -- await a savage execution. the merciless killer was pparently british. in this case, we were seeing a radicalized british subject behead an american citizen in raq. among other questions that come to mind, how many other jihadists out there are carrying western passports? what mission might isis have for them? the danger of isis for the united states and other western nations may still strike some people as a little remote. but for many americans, of course, just about the last thing we want to think about is more conflict in iraq and what that might involve. but we better get on top of this crisis by every means necessary, because event are moving fast and the price is only going to go up from here.

we have come to one of those moments when american action will be decisive, and inaction will because the rental -- will e consequential. there used to be a bipartisan tradition in american foreign policy, a basic willingness to unite in fundamental matters of security. if anything is left of that old spirit, we need to draw on it in a big way and right now. sure, it is attempting to revisit and reargue the old decisions that have already been ade. many on the left will say that a fatal mistake was made when we went into iraq in the first place. many republicans would argue that the 2011 withdrawal from iraq left some hard-won gains at isk.

the pullout seemed to be driven by political cap collations and ot strategic ones. still others -- political calculations and not strategic ones. still, others take the view that what happened in iraq is no concern of ours. their attitude is, we gave it our best effort, but now we are one. and then there is the sense of regret and tragedy that still hangs over the failure to help syrian rebels at a crucial point when he could have made all the ifference. they could well have gained the upper hand against the assad regime. syria could have been spared a lot of violence and other trouble, instead of becoming the isis stronghold that it is today.

we heard from the white house that assad must go. that was an opinion, not a policy. so it all came to nothing. just now, however these and other questions also just they need to wait for another day. we can talk about all of causes and the contribute in factors all day long -- contributing factors all day long and it will get us nowhere. what matters in the here and now are the outcomes that are still within our power to influence. we know what the jihadist objectives are in iraq and syria. let's be clear and unequivocal about our own. erbil, a strategically crucial city in the north of iraq must ot be allowed to fall. a momentum in the fight must be reversed, so the cities overrun by isis can be taken back by raqi troops. and serious, as well as a rock, -- and interior, as well as iraq, this army must be confronted. in recent weeks, president obama, his response has included limited airstrikes in hopes of finally slowing the isis

offensive in the kurdish north. he also sent 1000 or so of our american military advisers and special operators. he provided humanitarian relief and aid. the people there were able to escape and get into the mountains. the administration wishes -- and for that matter, who doesn't -- that this was just a humanitarian crisis. and when they talk about limited airstrikes, the plates a great emphasis on -- they place a great emphasis on the word limited.

yet clearly, more airstrikes are necessary. nothing less than a sustained campaign to destroy isis forces re required. the iraqi people are up against a terrorist blitzkrieg and it went practically unhindered for many weeks. and even though they have seen glimpses of our superior power and technology, they need to see lot more of it. and as for the many iraqis who are trying to defend themselves and their country, they need to see more help from us. air power is a major part of t. but it is also going to take more special operations, intelligence, and advisory support than we have offered so far. one more potent force for the good. the peshmega in the kurdish region. hey are a well-trained and disciplined militia. by every account, they have the ability and the will to fight back against the terrorists.

what are missing are the heavy weapons -- what is missing are the heavy weapons they need. the united states and allies, if they are willing, should launch an immediate airlift and deliver those assets to the kurdish orces. peshmerga fighters, aided by american airstrikes in mid-august have already pushed back isis in cities that looked to be lost just a few weeks ago. peshmerga is a fierce and ready force on the ground, and right now, they are in the best position to confront, overpower, and in time, defeat this enemy. in all of this, our allies are essential to the effort. and i might add, to the credit of the british and the french and the germans, they have begun to act already.

people in those countries, as in america, have insert to action -- have been stirred to action in these last weeks by these chilling news reviews of the stafford three -- of the savagery of the islamic state. and these great nations, if they do nothing else, they are in the business of preventing the worst from happening. and we know the worst when we see it. the atrocities of isis would command our attention even if we had no security interest, although we clearly do. and the list of countries with a big stake in defeating isis doesn't end with just western powers. because it is so very extreme, even by local standards. the islamic state has clarified some very common interests in the region. isis has designs on jordan, for example. and a serious threat to the stability of that country would not be a welcome development for other powers in the region. even iran is in this complicated osition.

for years, they saw to undermine our efforts in iraq, and yet today, they oppose isis. we shouldn't assume that the people today terrorizing iraq and syria have powerful support across the region. a do not. -- they do not. and where they are operating now, they are, of course, universally feared and despised. et, there are chronic problems and divisions within the iraqi government itself. and these have hindered the country's ability to act when united action is needed. but the basic situation is this. iraq is a democratic nation of 32 million people who are

horrified by the danger that is around them. and everything on the line, if we helped them, a rock can -- iraq can protect and defend themselves. in the weeks and months to come, we need for these and other military measures in iraq to become more obvious and urgent. president obama is going to hear warnings from his party. you going to hear the word mission creep -- he is going to hear the word mission creep. and that is also a very valid concern. how can we not be mindful of that after what we have seen occur?

and yet, in this case, it seems to me that we would be very wise to remember the isis version of mission creep. that is when they start following through on the threats they have been making by sending their recruits into this country. it may be a team of terrorists arriving with their passports and papers all in order, just like before, or it may be when one or more of them slips across our unsecured border. but what rational observer doubts that such an attack is not part of their plan? and who thinks it is a good idea to wait and to give them more time, instead of eliminating this menace right now? we have a viable stake here, reluctant as we might be to face 12 years of war in iraq. and three years after we are told that war was over, it is no one's idea of where this nation hoped we would be in the summer of 2014.

it's a long way from what we expect, but it's where we are. and our strength and our resolve today can steer us clear of our greater problems that are ahead. he demand of national security always require dealing with the threats as they come. better still, we deal with them before they come in the faithful and vigilant protection of the united states. thank you. cable satellite corp. 2014] national captioning institute] >> you are in charge. but oh, i love hearing that. -- >> oh, i love hearing that. governor perry put me in

charge. ladies and gentlemen, we have time for just one question. i saw your hand go up first. please state your name and we will take your question. >> i am with u.s. border security committee. listening to your question, or your statements, is there a concern that isis may be coming to the border of the united states? -- the southern border of the united states? >> certainly, there is great concern that the border between the united states and mexico is unsecured. and we don't know who is using that. but i will share with you that we have seen historic high levels of individuals from countries with terrorist ties over the course of the last onths. i will give you one anecdotal picture of what is happening.

three ukrainian individuals were apprehended in a ranch in far west texas within the last 60 days. i think there is the obvious great concern that the cause of the condition of the border from the standpoint of it not being secure and us not knowing who is penetrating across, that individuals from isis or other terrorist states could be -- and i think there is a very real possibility that they may have already used that. we have no clear evidence of that. but your common sense tells you, what we have seen the number of criminal activities that have occurred -- and i'm talking about the assaults, the rapes, the murders by individuals who have come into this country illegally over the last five years, the idea that they would not be looking at and managing any of those types of attacks from that region is not a good place to be.

we need to have clear and compelling forces, both law enforcement and otherwise, on that southern border to send the message that it is secured. the border can be secured. it requires boots on the ground. it requires the aviation assets. it's one of the reasons we have the fna -- faa for the use of drones to look down 24-7, in all weather was up we have yet to have that approval. and strategic policy is helpful there as well. we have a serious issue facing this country in the security of our citizens. we need to be very vigilant. we need to be using every authority that we have. the president needs to be engaged and using his residential authority. and congress needs to engage in securing this country. i will suggest -- as i have suggested in my remarks, until the border is secure, there will be no conversation in this country about any immigration eform. >> they said we actually have time for one more question. right here to this person. >> i have one clinical and one policy question for you. >> introduce yourself. >> sorry, casey hunt will stop

-- ac hunt with a bc news. wondering the judge that was accused in this case, on -- policy was, you stopped short of saying traditional combat troops should be used on the ground. i'm wondering if you think we should send traditional combat groups -- troops back to raq. >> when david axelrod, lanny davis, allender shorts, jonathan chad all say that this is sketchy, outrageous, totalitarian, and mccarthyite, i agree with them. and that's just on the democrat side of the aisle. i think all of your options have to be open from the standpoint f dealing with this terror and

this force in that country. i think signaling to your enemy what you are not going to put on the table is very, very bad, and both strategical and tactical errors by this administration. we need all options on the table. it is too important to jordan, too important to israel, two important to the interests of the west in that part of the world to stop isis. they will not stop in that region of the world. they need to be eliminated. they need to be eliminated now. thank you all. >> ladies and gentlemen, let's thank again the governor of texas, rick perry. and my colleague is going to give a few directions about what we have right outside. john will be coming up on the tage here to the left.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> columnist clarence page talks out the recent events in ferguson, missouri and civil unrest. after that, we conclude our week-long discussion on president johnson's great society and what led to the creation of the consumer product saflte commission. and then the bureau of economic analysis and bankrate.com talk about household spending patterns in the u.s. and take your phone calls and look for your comments on facebook and twitter.

>> we will have live coverage at 10:30 a.m. eastern. >> c-span presents debates, evolution. issues spotlight with in-depth look with veteran health care, student loan debt and campus sexual assault, global warming, fighting infectious disease and history tour showing sights and sounds. find our tv schedule one week in advance and let us know what you think about the programs you are watching and call us. or email us. join the conversation, like us on facebook, follow us on

twitter. >> attorney general eric holder announced $17 billion settlement with bank of america for its role in the 2008 financial crisis. the settlement is the largest in u.s. history and comes few onths after countrywide and jp morganchase and talked about his trip to ferguson, missouri. this is half an hour. >> small crowd today. thank you all for being here. i'm joined today by the associate attorney general tony west, united states attorney for the district of new jersey paul

fishman, united states attorney for the eastern district of new york loretta lynch, the united states attorney for the western district of north carolina ann thompkins, acting united states attorney for the central district of california, kentucky -- stephanie yanukura, kentucky attorney general jeff conway, maryland attorney general, acting inspector general the federal housing finance aid michael stevens, an associate regional director enforcement william hicks of the united states secured is an exchange commission. we are here today to announce a historic step forward in our ongoing effort to protect the american people from financial fraud and to hold accountable those whose actions threaten the integrity of our financial markets and undermined the stability of our economy. the department of justice has reached an agreement with bank of america totaling over $16.6 billion in penalties and consumer leave. -- consumer relief. this constitutes the largest civil settlement with the siegel entity in history. addressing conduct uncovered in more than a dozen cases and investigations. and it addresses allegations that egg of america, merrill lynch, and countrywide each engaged in progressive schemes to fraud. -- to defraud institutions and other investors in structured financial market products known as mortgage-backed ecurities.

as a part of the settlement, bank of america has acknowledged in the years leading up to the financial crisis that it was, merrill lynch, and countrywide sold billions of dollars of the toxic loans whose quality level of risk they knowingly misrepresented to investors and to the united states government. these loans contained material underwriting to fax. -- underwriting defects. there were secured by properties with inflated appraisals. they failed to comply with the federal state and local laws and they were insufficiently collateralized. yet these financial institutions knowingly and fraudulently marked and sold these loans as sound and reliable investments. we are still on multiple occasions when confronted with concerns about their reckless practices, bankers at these institutions continued to mislead investors about their

own standards and to securitize loans with funnel credit, -- fundamental credit, compliance, and legal defects. under the terms of the ettlement, the bank has agreed to pay $7 billion in relief to struggling homeowners, borrowers, and communities affected by the bank conduct.

unfortunately, because congress has failed to extend the law ensuring that most of this relief would not be taxable income, this debt relief will create tax liability for many consumers. that is why the department secured a commitment from bank of america to pay a portion of a settlement over $490 million to defray some of this tax liability. and our settlement requires the bank to notify all consumers of this potential tax liability. that is not enough. i also call upon congress to extend the tax relief coverage of the mortgage forgiveness debt relief act of 2007. until congress acts, the hundreds of thousands of consumers we have sought to help through our settlements of j.p. morgan chase, citigroup, and now bank of america, macy a -- may see a significant tax bill just as they're beginning to see the light at the end of a dark financial tunnel. want to be clear. the size and scope of this multibillion-dollar agreement goes far beyond the cost of doing business. this outcome does not preclude any criminal charges against the bank or its employees. nor was it inevitable over these

last few weeks this case would be resolved out of court. i want to thank associate attorney general west, especially, for his leadership in helping to obtain resolution we announced today which is both historic and commences with the -- and commence rent -- commence or it with conduct at issue. i want to recognize each have come together to make this landmark settlement a reality. this is merely the latest example of the important work the president's financial fraud enforcement task force is making possible. this agreement, limited the -- this agreement complemented the actions of the task force is working groups including the residential mortgage-backed security's fraud working group, members of which played key roles in advancing this ase. i have in order to chair this -- i have been honored to chair this task force since its inception in 2009 in a with like to thank each of the members who contributed to this outcome and are continuing to advance a range of open matters both civil and criminal across the country. at this time i would like to turn the podium over to the associate attorney general who will provide additional details. >> thank you, mr. attorney general. thank you all for being here today.

this morning, we demonstrate once again that no institution is either too big or too powerful to escape appropriate enforcement action by the department of justice. at nearly $17 billion as the attorney general noted, this resolution with the bank of america is the largest that the department has ever reached with a single institution in american history. but the significance of this settlement lies not just in its size. this agreement is notable because it achieves real account ability for the mac and people. - american people. in addition to the billions of

dollars the bank will pay, bank of america has agreed to sign a statement of facts in which it admits publicly its repeated failure and repeated failures of its affiliates merrill lynch and countrywide, to disclose to investors key facts about the actual quality of the loans they packaged up into residential mortgage-backed investment securities. or rmbs. the statement of facts details evidence we uncovered in three separate investigations conducted by u.s. attorney and thompkins of the western district of north carolina, the central district of california represented here by acting u.s. attorney and the district of new jersey, led by u.s. attorney paul fishman, whose case largely drove the discussions that led to the resolution we are announcing today. his investigation found that merrill lynch new based on its -- that merrill lynch knew,

based on its own due diligence that substantial numbers of the loans was packaging in the rmds and selling to investors failed to meet underwriting guidelines, did not comply with applicable law or were inadequately collateralized. all contrary to representations merrill lynch was making to investors. the cases in california, north carolina, involving countrywide and the bank of america respectively to those also involved in similar conduct with varying degrees of egregiousness. at all involved bank of america or its affiliates saying one thing to investors about the quality of the loans they were packaging into rmds, yet in reality, knowing the facts indicated something quite different. it is like going to your neighborhood grocery store to buy milk that is advertised as

fresh, only to discover that store employees knew the milk you are buying have been left out on the loading dock and not refrigerated the entire day before, yet never told you but the condition of the milk. -- about the condition of the ilk you were buying. and you got home to pour yourself that glass of milk, investors such as public pension fund and federally insured financial institutions, they were unpleasantly met with lanes of dollars in losses -- millions of dollars of losses when the securities they had invested in oured. the statement of facts doesn't end with the bank's admissions about its securitization of risky mortgage loans. the statement also achieves accountability by requiring bank of america to accept responsibility for faulty loan origination practices that in many cases, resulted in

misrepresentations about the quality of those phones -- loans to fannie mae, freddie mac, and to the federal housing the dministration. and also which concluded to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds. as uncovered in the investigations conducted by u.s. attorney general loretto lynch in new york and u.s. attorney and his office in the southern district of new york. taken together, these cases have construed it to a civil penalty of $5 billion as reflected in the settlement. the largest civil penalty in history. in addition to accountability, this historic resolution is also significant for what it achieves in terms of restoration. it requires that those we're

holding a couple today, they have to show -- shoulder some of the responsibility for repairing the harm caused by their conduct. and in this case, that is achieved by the $7 billion in consumer relief the attorney general mentioned a moment ago. this is one of the largest consumer relief packages we have ever assembled with a single financial institution. and its impact could benefit hundreds of thousands of americans who are still struggling to pull themselves out from under the weight of the financial crisis. and some of the key consumer relief measures include affordable rental housing, where bank of america will provide millions of dollars in financing for affordable rental housing with a focus on family housing opportunity areas, what of the -- one of the most critical needs in housing today. community reinvestment and it

put civilization, where the bank -- and stabilization, where the bank will invest at least $100 million in committed he development funds. legal aid organizations, and housing counseling agencies. and in some areas, bank of america will donate profits -- donate that will allow nonprofits to make productive use of those properties come something that can help bring back the vibrancy of neighborhoods that have been challenged by dormant, abandoned buildings. perhaps most important, this consumer relief will allow for significant loan modification, where the bank will provide certain homeowners with mortgage principal reductions that will bring their loan to value ratio down to 75% come along with a permanent interest rate of %. in plain english, was something like this can mean. imagine a just rest homeowner who has -- distressed homeowner has a mortgage of 250 thousand

dollars, but is under because -- but is underwater, because the fair market value of her home is only $150,000. under the consumer relief plan, his type of consumer relief, over one of a $37,000 of her -- over $137,000 of her mortgage debt will be wiped out. that means her mortgage will come down to about $112,000. so instead of $250,000 mortgage, she got a mortgage of 112,000 dollars. she has a house that used to be a liability, now it is an asset with equity. that is real consumer relief and is made possible by this settlement. one other form of relief the attorney general mentioned, which really merits emphasis, is his. before congress allowed the mortgage forgiveness debt relief act to lapse at the end of last year, consumers who received the type of relief i just described, they were not liable for any federal taxes that they might go

-- that they might owe on the onsumer relief the received. but now you see the act is no longer enforced. until it is extended, consumers will be on the hook repaying the taxes -- for paying taxes on any consumer relief they make it from the settlement. -- that they may get from this settlement. so to help consumers to fray that federal tax liability, we negotiated as part of the settlement a 2525 tax relief fund. here is how it works. nce a consumer receives relief such as a principal write-down or mortgage forgiveness, 25% of the value of that relief will be made available to help offset the tax liability that may be incurred by the consumer up to $25,000. now this type of relief, this was going to help tens of thousands of consumers to offset at least, in part, any taxes that may result from the

consumer relief they receive as a result of the settlement, but as the attorney general noted, this is only a temporary fix. the fund isn't large enough to cover every potential he affected consumer, which is why the best solution to this problem is for congress to heed the attorney general's call to extend the tax relief coverage of the mortgage forgiveness debt elief act. as i have said before at these press conferences with announcing these types of resolutions, the consumer relief that we are offering here as a result of the settlement, it won't solve every problem and won't cure every ill created by the financial crisis, but it will do something that is very important. it will offer hope to thousands of americans, hundreds of thousands of americans who are still laboring under upside down

mortgages were struggling and neighborhoods that are beset by vacant properties or fighting to avoid foreclosure for themselves and their families. and i think that alone makes efforts like these worth trying, which is why we're not letting up and we're not going away. it is why we will continue to pursue these cases either in litigation through the courts or to a significant resolution, whichever is in the best interest of the american eople. let me say today's resolution would not be possible were it not for the extraordinary partnership that really defines the collaboration with and among this justice department, our sister federal agencies, and the committee of estates attorney -- community of state attorneys general. my thanks to the fdic,, fha, sec trusted attorneys general beau biden of delaware, jack conway of kentucky, maryland to

california, and lisa madigan of illinois and eric schneiderman of new york was also one of the cochairs of the working group. one final note, there are so many people who deserve recognition for the hard work that they did to make today's announcement a reality. but allow me to name just a special few. assistant u.s. attorney who was the driving force behind the maryland investigation in the district of new jersey. the director of the group, jeff graber. the principal deputy associate attorney general. and counsel, stacy grigsby. and my deputy chief of staff cindy chang. thank you to all of them for their dedication and repeated all nighters of the last several weeks. it has made a real ifference. now i will turn it over to the ttorney general.

>> before we go to any questions, let me add a few words about the situation in ferguson. yesterday, i visited ferguson in order to be briefed on the ongoing federal civil rights investigation into the august 9 shooting death of michael brown. the investigation i launched with in a week ago. -- more than a week ago. during the course of my visit, i met with law enforcement as well as community leaders. we had constructive discussions about the importance of maintaining peace, diverting future acts of violence or vandalism and ensuring public safety as well as the need for outreach and engagement to rebuild a fractured trust between community and the law enforcement community that it serves. i will continue to get regular updates and closely monitor the situation as it unfolds. although our investigation will take time, and i cannot discuss the specifics of this case in

greater details since it remains open and reactive, the people of -- and very active, the people of ferguson can have confidence in the federal agents nvestigators and prosecutors who are leading this process. our investigation will be fair. it will be thorough. it will be independent. on a personal note, i've seen a lot in my times as attorney general but a few things have affected me as greatly as my visit to ferguson. i had the chance to meet with the family of michael brown. i spoke to them not just as attorney general, but as a father of a teenage son myself. they, like so many of ferguson, what answers. -- want answers. in my conversations with dozens of people in ferguson yesterday, it was clear that this shooting incident has brought to the surface underlying tensions that have existed for many years. there is a history to these tensions and that history simmers in more communities than just ferguson. law enforcement has a role to play in reducing tensions as well as to as the brother of a

retired law enforcement officer, i know firsthand that our men and women in uniform perform their duties in the face of tremendous threat and significant personal risk. they put their lives on the line every day and often have to make split-second decisions. the national outcry we have seen speaks to a sense of mistrust and mutual suspicion that can take cold and the relationship -- that can take hold in the relationship between law enforcement and certain communities. i wanted the people of ferguson to know i personally understood that mistrust. i wanted them to know while so much else may be uncertain, this attorney general and mr. -- and this department of justice stands with the people of ferguson. i hope the relative calm we list -- we this last night can be enduring. people take great pride in their town. despite the mistrust that exists, they reject the violence that we have seen over the past

couple of weeks. that sense when i went to ferguson to provide reassurance, they gave me hope. story nor this tragic longer receives this level of attention, the justice department will continue to stand with ferguson. will continue the conversation, about trust building between law enforcement and the communities that they serve, and the appropriate use of force. andthe need to ensure fair equal treatment for everyone. >> will take your questions now. >> good morning, mr. attorney general, does the $17 billion settlement exonerate bank of america. only $7 billion? why should the bulk of the

penalty go to the government instead of consumer relief? this resolution certainly does bring to focus a part of the chapter four bank of america. there are things that are specifically carved out. we have made public our settlement agreement, and there are clear areas. liability, to criminal or civil, that have been carved out from the agreement. in terms of the breakdown of the money, much of the money is going to public pension funds. for instance, when you look at the past resolutions with jpmorgan, for example, or with citi, when states have been

involved in those resolutions, we have seen those state's attorney generals return those settlements back to public pension funds. one of the benefits of a resolution like this is that we can begin to compensate public pension funds that were victims of this, as well as bring relief to struggling homeowners and other consumers who were victims of the financial crisis. $5 billion will go to the united states as a fine, that the rest of the cash that is being provided by bank of america goes to compensate losses that were suffered as of losses on the investment. >> question for the attorney , you talked about the

mistrust. you talked about the anger in the community. promised an aggressive and independent investigation, but you can guarantee that the facts will lead to a prosecution and conviction. how much patience do you think the community can and should have? heartened by the response i got yesterday when i talked about doing a thorough and fair investigation. to satisfy aseemed great number of people. it will take time to develop all of the facts, to develop all of the evidence. concernedople were that there was not going to be the kind of investigation that i have promised. we have been working very diligently out there.

fbit a briefing from the agents and prosecutors that are involved. significant progress has been made. it will take time. patience is in abundance in ferguson. it doesn't mean they should drag on. we will do this as expeditiously as we can. it is important to get it right there in that means that thoroughness, completeness completeness, -- is what we will emphasize. these do not include criminal charges against the banks and their employees, so why haven't there been more criminal restitution? we have many tools in the toolbox when it comes to financial fraud. civil tools can be effective,

one of the reasons they are so effective is because of the lower burden of proof. quickly.ve on them that does not preclude us using the other tools in our toolbox. i won't comment on any particular criminal investigation whether one exists or not, but i will say it is intentional that we carve out the liability of individuals under the sediment -- settlements. mr. attorney general, you spoke of the mistrust in ferguson, and people in ferguson referred to other instances in which they feel they were .istreated by police i know you spoke to the victim's sister yesterday. leaning onen forward the issue of pattern of practice

of investigation. i want tos nothing announce at this time in regards to that possibility, but there are a number of tools the justice department has with regard to examining police misconduct. >> are you aware of those past instances? >> i will say we are keeping our options open. you saw the families, what did that give you personally? part ofl desire on the the people of ferguson to be have a fairly, and to good relationship with people in law enforcement. a desire to be seen as equals. a desire to have healing. there is a fracture out there now. people are trying to work their way through. out of thised,

tragedy comes a great opportunity for reforming that community. that is something we can do nationwide. it has engendered a conversation. that we can't stop at the conversation. we have to take concrete steps to build a promise. the justice department will hopefully be a leader in the effort. and localnd state officials have to be a part of that as well. >> you think the prosecutors will be impartial? and is their ability to do so a concern? our investigation is independent. it will be thorough, fair. we have worked with the possibility of developing evidence and doing interviews together, and i'm confident that the investigation we are doing

will be thorough and fair. struckor anything that you that you would have concerns about? >> no. wouldorney general, i like to ask you about the murder of jim foley. and what role the justice department plays in the investigation of that, are you trying to identify a specific individual? are there any subjects? are you looking at the leadership that might be involved? also, what role do just since -- justice department may play if any in the negotiations for mr. foley's release and the rescue effort? >> first of all, we are appalled, i am appalled, by the brutal murder of jim foley. it was heartbreaking to see his parents yesterday, who showed a

composure that from my perspective was incomprehensible. my heart goes out to them. the justice department is actively pursuing justice. we have an open investigation. those who would perpetrate such acts need to understand something. this justice department, this nation, we have long memories and our reach is very wide. we will not forget what happened, and people will be held accountable. one way or another. i also want to take note of the fact that jim was a journalist. to do theugh choices kinds of things that make our society great. information, information gathering, sharing with us, giving us a view of the world in dangerous circumstances. i think that is what led to his

death. he was a journalist. said, the matter is an open investigation and one that we will be pursuing vigorously. >> was the justice department familiar with the efforts of negotiation question mark >> i don't want to comment on what i would consider a national security matter. >> thank you everybody. >> the american bar association continues its two-day conference

on homeland security policy tomorrow with a discussion on cyber security. it will include thomas mcdermott who is assistant general counsel at the homeland security department. live at 3:00 a.m. -- 3:00 p.m. eastern. are some of the highlights for this weekend. saturday night at 8:00, highlights from this year's new york ideas for him. with charlie wrangle. night, in-depth with reza aslan. saturday, after words. american history tv on c-span three.

on friday eight :00 eastern, a look at hollywood's portrayal of slavery. saturday, eight look at the 200th anniversary of the battle of bladensburg. find the television schedule one week in advance at www.c-span.org. let us know what you think. join the c-span conversation, like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs of staff chairman martin dempsey talk to us about the latest on iraq and syria. secretary hagel also spoke about james foley and the failed rescue mission. this is 30 minutes. good afternoon everybody.

as the u.s. central command provide regular updates about our military support. to say arnoon i want few words about what this assistance has accomplished over the last two weeks. and what we can expect going forward. chairman dempsey will give you a including some numbers on u.s. military action to date. first let me offer my deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of jim foley. the american journalist who, as you all know, was savagely murdered by the isil. as the department confirmed yesterday, earlier this summer the united states continued --

attempted a rescue of a number of hostages held in syria, including jim foley. we all regret that mission did not succeed. of the u.s.oud forces who participated. the united states will not relent in our efforts to bring our citizens home. jim foley's murder was another tragic demonstration of the ruthless, barbaric, ideology of isil. they continue to slaughter and massacre innocent people. threat,e nature of this that president obama's direction, and the request of area in he government the u.s. military had provided assistance to iraqi security forces to protect u.s. personnel and facilities. and to protect efforts to counter isil.

american air strikes and american arms, helped iraqi and kurdish forces. where american diplomats and troops are working, and helped the iraqis retake and hold mosul dam. a breach of the dam would've threatened the lives of thousands of iraqis as well as our facilities in baghdad. and prevent the iraqi government from providing critical services to its citizens. as there continues to be an acute humanitarian need , the u.s.in iraq appreciates the partnership of the united kingdom, canada, ,rance, italy, and australia and the united nations in helping provide relief.

i expect more nations to step forward with more assistance in the weeks ahead. overall these operations have stalled isil momentum. and have allowed iraqi and kurdish forces to retake their footing. posed byg the threat isil requires political reform in iraq. the countries he's full transition of power last week was important. -- the countries peaceful transition of power last week was important. iraq will be a more secure and prosperous iraq. will make itmoil harder for isil to exploit weaknesses. chairman, and the

i are very clear eyed about the challenges ahead. we are pursuing a long-term strategy against isil because isil clearly poses a long-term threat. we should expect isis to regroup . the u.s. military's involvement is not over. president obama has been clear at this point. our objectives remain clear and limited. to protect american citizens and its facilities, to provide and to join with international partners to address the humanitarian crisis. with that i will ask chairman dempsey for his comments. >> thank you, as most of you know i just returned from a trip to vietnam. today i had my counterpart from singapore visiting.

it was remarkable to be in vietnam 40 years after our departure. and to discuss opportunities for new relationship. building on the incredible sacrifices of those who served there. we have our shoulder behind the rebounds to the asia pacific. even as there are challenges in other parts of the world. in sunday i will depart for afghanistan. iraq, under into the command of general lloyd our efforts in iraq have included seven humanitarian airdrop missions, delivering 636 bundles of food, water, and medical supplies. date, 89 targeted airstrikes conducted by the air force and navy aircraft. these airstrikes have protected u.s. arsons and facilities

thomas and helped prevent humanitarian crisis. as iraq's political future takes , it will depend on achieving a credible partner in the iraqi government. to be moremit inclusive with all of its population than it has thus far. >> in your comments you that isil has been installed recently, but you -- has been stalled recently but you expect them to regroup. why not go after isil where they started, in syria? i know you discuss the threat of , but they dois have a sanctuary in eastern syria. what is the strategy if it is not to root them out from inside

syria? first, going back to your point about my statement about our objectives, which i just restated. i would also say in addition to that, and the president has been that we continue to explore all options regarding isil. and how best we can assist our partners in that area, particularly in iraq against isil. you all know that in the president's request in oko for a $5 billion anti-terrorism fund. assistin there to opposition. that is what we are looking at,

that is what we are doing, and we will continue to stay focused on what we are doing now and explore all options. we are looking at all options. -- ask bothto add of you specifically on the rescue mission. you've talked extensively over the years about protecting classified information. even if you are told that the news media would publish an why specifically did both of you think it was a good acknowledgecially in detail the classified information about a hostage rescue when our are still american hostages there? are you worried that the information could risk other hostage's lives?

why did you both think it was a good idea? >> why did we think it was a good idea to -- >> acknowledge a classified mission for a hostage rescue? >> to start with, there were a number of news outlets that were action, of the raid. it was the decision made by the administration which we concurred with to address the mission. recognizing, everything that you said, there is always risk. there continues to be risk in every action or inaction that we take.

had informedation the families of the hostages of this effort. was the decision, it was unanimous, that we should in fact acknowledge this effort without going into the specifics , which you know we will not. with this a failure of intelligence? no. the fact is, intelligence doesn't come wrapped in a package with a bow. it is a mosaic of many pictures, of many factors. the enemy always has a say in everything. you have to work that reality in to any decision that you make. the underlining objective was to do everything we could as the

president has said, to rescue these hostages knowing that their lives were in danger, clearly in danger. it is the responsibility of our government and our leaders to do all that we can to take action what we believe there might be a good possibility, a good chance, to make a rescue effort successful. this operation was a flawless operation, but the hostages were not there. we will do everything we need to the american people would expect from their leaders, to continue to do everything we can to get our hostages back. do you have concerns -- >> do you have concerns? reason, good enough

that the media was going to write an article about this? >> i provide military advice. the military advice that was rendered in response to your question was, as long as sources and methods are not revealed that it would be a policy decision on whether to release the information. as to whether it was an intelligence failure, i agree completely with the secretary of defense, the mission was executed flawlessly after a significant. of planning and were herschel. period ofcant planning and rehearsal, and they were no longer at that location. talk a little bit more about the long-term strategy against isis. secretary john kerry says they will be crushed. the president calls them cancer.

if that is the case why are airstrikes so narrowly focused and limited, and why have you delayed providing heavy weapons to the kurds. it seems the rhetoric doesn't match efforts. >> first of all, we are providing a tremendous amount of , through the iraqi security forces. it is one country am a and there is no question that we have matter ofd -- as a fact, all year long we have been accelerated. we continue to do that. as to the comment made by secretary kerry, and the we all share the same evaluation of i still -- of isil willeat

not only come at the hands of airstrikes. one of the things that i noted in my comments here at the beginning of the press conference, was an inclusive .overnment in iraq is essential as to how iraq and the united states and all our international partners are going to have to also deal with isil military connecticut actions, airstrikes are part of that. it is bigger than a military operation. higher efforts that we have executed the president strategy, our particularly -- specifically targeted. we are working with international partners are in we are doing everything we can.

to assist and recognize as we said, to deal with isil they are the middle east, and recognizing that it is a threat. it isn't just going to come as a result of airstrikes. strategically there is a limit to how much you can accomplish with airstrikes. tactically you can accomplish a significant amount. it is a broad scope of activity and action. they said they still haven't received the heavy weapons they requested. >> the task force for the equipping effort with the kurds, yes the secretary has a task force that overseas that. they have begun to receive supplies, not just from us or partners, but also it from the government of iraq. that is not to be discounted. providing, those that

were conducting assessments in joint operations centers, have continued to evolve. this is not just about airstrikes. >> general do you believe that defeated or to stride without addressing the cross-border threat to syria? is it possible to contain them? >> it is possible to contain them. we have seen that their momentum was disrupted. that is not to be discounted. it was the momentum itself that had allowed them to find a way to encourage the sunni --ulation of western a rack, to accept their presence among them. yes they can be contained, not

in perpetuity. this is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end of days vision. can they be defeated without a dressing the part of the organization which resides in syria? the answer is no. it will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially a nonexistent border. that will come when we have a coalition in the region that takes on the task of defeating isis over time. defeated only be truly when it is rejected by the 20 million disenfranchised sunni that reside between damascus and baghdad. it requires a variety of instruments, one small part of which is airstrikes. it requires the application of all of the tools of national

power. diplomatic am a information, military. about isis in syria, my question is for both of you. informationany about a relation between the assad regime and ice all -- isil ? been'sknow they have dragging them for the last few months. -- have been striking them for the last few months. do you see it as part of a broader solution? very much central part of the problem. it is well documented as to why. brutalu have the

dictatorship of assad, and what he has done to his own country which perpetuated much of what is happening, and has been happening. he is part of the problem, and part as themuch a central core. yes, they are fighting each other as well as other error terrorist groups. >> he is absolutely part of the problem area -- problem. >> beyond helping make the ongoing, through the iraqis are not, does the pentagon have the authority

to talk to the general counsel to say what are you doing now? you need any different types of assistance? >> to start with, the president has been very clear on mission briefs. he has made it very clear that he will not allow that, this is why he has been clear on what our mission is. we comply with the war powers act, and inform form congress on how many people we have. consult with our , do we all of the time have the domestic authority? do we have international authority? on all actions, as we do on everything we do. again, i refer you to the president's comments. this is not about mission creep

-- creek. is the american public steeled for a another long hard slog against isis. bush -- yourge talked about the seating i sold -- isil over time. get ready forlic another slog in the fight to eliminate isil? >> as your comment about an imminent threat, i think it is clear. looking what they did to mr. foley, what they threatened to do to all americans and europeans, what they are doing now. i don't know another way to describe it than barbaric.

decencye no standard of , of responsible human behavior. the record is clear on that. threatey are an imminent to every interest we have whether in iraq or anywhere else. about have heard me speak the fact that we have gone from a narrow focus and al qaeda i'm a to the recognition after the arab spring and the disenfranchised relations that i have described. failed states, declining nationalism, you've heard me talk about that. we actually have groups that are loosely connected, or affiliated, that run from afghanistan across the arabian peninsula, into yemen and north of west africa.

general, the conflict against those groups am a most of which are local -- groups, most of which are local. it is ideological. it is religious in many cases. when you ask me if the american people should steel themselves for this long conflict, there will be required from the united states of america in the leadership role, to build coalitions, to provide the unique capabilities that we have. using distinct military tools. one is direct action, there will be cases when we are personally threatened. that we will use direct action. direct action for

other purposes, we will do so. we haven't been asked. the second is building partner capacity. we have to have them take ownership of this, because frankly if we are not on it they will not be interested in it. the last of course, is enabling. it is what you see us doing somewhat now in iraq. i think you'll see that enabling function used as well. thisu are talking about war weary america. most americans are asking, what is the isil threat to us here at home. did either of you describe the terrorist threat that isil represents to americans, and should americans be prepared for a perpetual war on terror.

-- terror? minute.l take the first what happened in this country on 9/11? about,s. the question should americans see this as an imminent threat, or what is the issue? i doubt that there were many people who would've thought it was a threat the day before 9/11. ,hat happened a few years ago this country is far better prepared today in every way for this. terrorism is not new to the world. sophistication of terrorism and ideology that the general was talking about. with resources now. that is a whole new dynamic and

paradigm of threats. resources, money, all of that is different. we can't ask the question of was it big a deal? they are far away. we don't have the luxury. every day the intelligence community and the leaders, regardless of the administration, or who the secretary of defense is, deals with this every day. we don't want to face that again ever. we have to look at this from the reality of what is out there, and what could be out there. is this a long-term? sure it is long-term. >> is it your calculation that isis represents a 9/11 level threat to the united states. are as sophisticated and

well-funded as any group we have ever seen. they are beyond a terrorist group. ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess, they are tremendously well-funded. this is beyond anything we have seen. we must prepare for everything. the only way you do that is to take a cold look at it and get ready. >> the immediacy is in the number of europeans and other nationalities who have come to the region to become part of that ideology area -- ideology. why i have conversations with my southern european colleagues about nato. threat in the near term than we are.

it is an immediate threat, that is to say the fighters who may leave the current site and migrate home. in the longer term, it is about i sold's -- isil's vision. that easy to remember their long-term vision is the islamic state. the current state of israel, jordan, iraq, and kuwait. if they were to achieve that vision, it would fundamentally alter the middle east and create a security environment that would threaten us in many ways. i know the president and you all talk about that right now it is a -- iraq's responsibility to take control of their own country. but isn't the u.s. already at war with isis? >> do i look like a guy who

would answer that question? war is aration of policy decision, not a military decision. how much an estimate the operation in iraq has cost so far, and considering the long-term threat and you are organizing a long-term strategy, might you need to reshape your 2015 budget question mark >> -- 2015 budget ? >> maybe. going back to the oko that i mentioned. we are to have a separate counterterrorism fund of $5 billion. half of that for the moderate syria opposition. you're constantly shaping a assure that the resources match the mission. and that they mission and the resources match the threat. process that is void of

the dynamics of a changing should, shifting world. you plug those resources into your strategy to a sure you can carry it out. yes, it is shifting all the time on what you think is going to be required. overve had to move assets the last couple of months to accomplish what we have accomplished in iraq. that cost money. that takes certain moneys out of certain funds. it is not as fluid a process as you plan. general? wethese allocations that have made to our global posture, and our regional posture, has been remarkable. it reminds me never to miss the opportunity to thank those who

have served in uniform for their incredible agility, and courage, in dealing with whatever issues confront them. are a lot ofthere issues confronting us globally. we are answering the call and will continue to do so. yeare fine for fiscal 2014, will have to gather the data and see what it does to us in 2015. >> thanks very much. high, this week on the washington journal we will be focusing on president lyndon johnson's vision for a great society and its impact day. join the conversation by calling us or sending us an e-mail. journal@c-span.org. join the conversation on facebook.com/cspan.

each friday night this month, c-span's american history tour travels the country to explore historic places and hear from authors about the events and people that shaped the nation. tomorrow we focus on the civil rights movement with a look back at martin luther king's letter from birmingham jail. the bombing of birmingham alabama's church. he witnessed a lynching when he was only 12. he asked his father why would they do that to him, his father said, that is what they do. i'm sure he was a little bit angry, frustrated, he was hurt. so i said get him away from it. when he was only 16, and he served in world war ii. he talked about defending america, it didn't matter the

color of his skin. on his 21st birthday, he tried to register to vote. he said these group of white men turned them around with shotguns, ran them out with shotguns. he said we ran, we did not go up against those men. but it made him get serious. >> seymour from america's history to her beginning at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> here are some of the highlights from this weekend. important sites in the history of the civil rights movement. saturday nights at 8:00, highlights from this year's new york ideas forum. with new yorknd a congressman charlie wrangle. friday night at 8:00 on c-span2, in-depth with religious scholar. saturday at 10:00, ben carson.

sunday night at 11 p.m. eastern the competition between the wright brothers and ben curtis to be the predominate name in manned flight. on c-span three, friday night at 8:00 eastern hollywood spur trail of slavery. 8:00, theight at 200th anniversary of the battle of bladensburg. find our television schedule one week in advance at c-span.org and let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. at journal@c-span.org. like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. the american bar association hosted a forum focused on homeland security policy. it included a look at current and emerging security threats.

he spoke for about 40 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen i will get us back under way, i know many of you are finishing your lunches. please continue with that. people in the hallway can rejoin quiet abouts entering as you can. we need to get back under way. let me reconvene our program at 1:10. fortunate today to have our nest speaker as our post-lunch speaker.

to discuss emerging threats to the homeland. read thehas to newspaper or watch television for a few moments. america's memory is short. hopefully the people that work for frank cilluffo. have long memories at the george washington university where he is located. frank is our speaker and a few moments. frank is the associate vice president at the george washington university. i'm sure he is a leader there and many other regards to george washington. it says routinely called upon, but i think all the time called upon probably, to advise senior officials in the executive ranch, and armed services in a variety of issues. there is probably no one that has a broader vision of homeland security than frank cilluffo.

i remember frank from the early days of homeland security because tom ridge did not leave home without frank cilluffo with him. he was one of the closest advisor -- advisers. he served in office at the white house in the office of homeland security which was a small shop. billioninto a $40 enterprise. house, frankite was involved with the center for strategic and international studies. i could go on and on about frank cilluffo's background and resume. let me introduce him. thank you joe for that overly

kind introduction. myself,e to introduce it would be a bumper sticker " play'silluffo, he looted varying degrees of ignorance and lots of subjects. " place to my strengths, to my add. if you were to close your eyes and point to any place on the map, and all likelihood you would fall into a bull's-eye. i'm going to spare the obligatory lawyer joke. i can tell you one thing i normally like lawyers behind me. to be in front of all of you is a little threatening. the greatest respect and appreciation for what the

american bar association does, for what joe does, for what all of you collectively do to advance our national security and improved our homeland security. you have done great work over the years, and i hope that you continue to do this great work. what i thought i would do very quickly, if you close your eyes and point to anywhere on the map, whether it is the ukraine, crimea, north korea thomas whether it is what is unfolding so tragically in syria and iraq, vaster it is where you see territory under the control of islamicists and foreign terrorist organizations, whether it is the ebola outbreak in africa, whether it is cyber

the reality is that a lot is unfolding. it feels like it is unfolding quicker, faster, and more dangerously than before. i don't know if you've had the opportunity to read general flynn's outgoing interview, but it is worth taking 10 minutes to read some of his views. he was the head of the defense intelligence agency. the takeaway, i asked you to read it, but was that this is certainly the most dangerous time in his lifetime in terms of an era. he compared it to world war ii when you had some of the most evil manifestations of what humanity has seen. it is worth looking at. i think that accelerating all of this is the speed and connection of technology, whether it is social media.

if you start saying how effective social media has been for our adversaries to radicalize and include individuals. look at iraq. you have a search. 13,000 foreign fighters joining the ranks of jihadist organizations. these are big numbers. when you're talking about foreign fighters, 3000 of which ae westerners, that adds whole new level of concern to our homeland. these are individuals who are familiar with our country, they speak the language, they know our country, they are familiar with everything about us. that is something that perhaps we don't feel the full effect of what it means right now, but five years from now you might see it manifest in new and dangerous sorts of ways. if you were to look at the

threat environment right now, if you were to try to understand the terror environment, it comes in various shapes, sizes, and forms. how effective are they? have they been equipped by isis in iraq? i think that is the wrong set of questions. what you are starting to see is a conflation of many of these organizations that are in and outsource model. they're in an open-source model where they are working with, between, and among one another. you can't fully secular -- from aqlm from what you are seeing in syria and iraq. the adversary could be turned around and sent back home to their homelands, because of ofir passports, a cause

their familiarity, because of their recognition of the region. we did a major study in 2007, maybe 2008, looking at some of the foreign fighter trends and trajectories. we started looking at that largely because of one case. does everyone remember the najibullah zazi case? this was a nationalized american who went to afghanistan, his intent was to fight alongside taliban and. qaeda.intercepted by al they said you are much greater value at the united states. he was behind a very sinister suicide-homicide bomb the new york subway. this was the time that our country was blinking really read. unfortunately, he got further

along than any of us feel comfortable with. in part because we didn't have some of the synchronization and integration that we strive for between federal, state, local law enforcement. the plot materialized in denver, made it to new york, had an overseas impounded, it was aiming for the holes in our seems. --seams. we started doing analysis on this. the simple take away was nothing new. if you go back to afghanistan, the first afghanistan fight. the fight against the soviets. you will see there were a number of westerners fighting alongside erstwhile threats and that region as well. , the numberse is are growing in terms of scale. changing andic is

many of them are coming back to the west. when you look at the al qaeda threat, everyone would have liked to have said ding-dong the witch is dead. about all the challenges facing our country, the economic situation, and everything we struggle with on a daily basis. the reality is the threat was not dead. to the it is coming recognition and understanding that is not about networks alone, or organizations alone, it is about ideology. to paraphrase bill clinton, the economy stupid, in this place it is about ideology stupid. with the percentage of people around the world that i think should war and a lot of -- should war and a

lot of concern. we will have tactics masquerading as strategy. we have to get to that point collectively to be able to undermine, expose the hypocrisy of the narrative. not acting, is an action. unfortunately that action is being filled by our adversaries today. so why africa? ?hy the fata these are under governed spaces. they are being filled by our adversaries. time andported the ability to maneuver, train, and plot attacks. i think one of the challenging, vexing issues we have all tried drones, i is, take

will bring it up. at the end of the day, i would rather our enemies look over their shoulders then give them more time to plot, execute, maneuver, recruit, and engage in terrorist activity. is it a panacea? absolutely not. it has to be coupled and combined with other instruments that we are not comfortable with as a country. i think that's something we need to worry about. , if you look at the tragic news in terms of the beheading of an american, this is part of their narrative. their narrative is to demonstrate we are vulnerable. we should be afraid